1. I've seen some ponds here made with cement. What is the advantage of the rubber liner?

2. I'm concerned with what to do with the fish in winter...it freezes very hard here in Minnesota.

3. Do I need a permit to build my pond?

4. Will frogs and turtles live in my pond?

5. Can I keep game fish in my pond?

6. My neighbors are concerned that my pond is breeding mosquitoes.

7. I want a pond, but I have no idea how large I should make it...do you have any size guidelines?

8. Why do you recommend rocks and gravel in the pond? Isn't it harder to clean?

9. What do you feed the fish?

10. How much maintenance time is required?

1. In the past, ponds were often made of cement. Sooner or later, concrete will crack, unless reinforced with massive amounts of steel (as in swimming pools). To build a properly reinforced concrete pond would require very expensive materials and specialized concrete installation techniques.

The 45 mil EPDM rubber liner used in our pond kits is flexible and will adjust to any shifting of the surrounding soil. It is guaranteed for twenty years, even if exposed to sunlight, and if covered by rocks and gravel, should last a lot longer than that.
[Back to Top]

2. Even though lakes in your area freeze two feet thick, a backyard pond will not freeze more than eight inches. In a shallow backyard pond, the earth warms the water and prevents it from freezing deeper. In a two foot deep pond, your fish will have at least 16 inches of water to hibernate in.
[Back to Top]

3. There are virtually no laws currently anywhere in the U.S. that specifically regulate water garden construction. However, the B.O.C.A. (Building Organization Code Administration) states that bodies of water which are two feet of depth or less, or 250 square feet (10' x 25') or less, do not fall under swimming pool regulations. As long as you comply with B.O.C.A. codes, it is highly unusual for a city to require a permit.
[Back to Top]

4. "If you build it, they will come!" Sometimes, tadpole eggs will come along with aquatic plants that you buy at the nursery. If there is a natural body of water nearby, visiting frogs and turtles are possible. We have a huge toad that visits our pond on summer evenings. Both frogs and turtles can be introduced manually to your pond, but make sure they are native species. There is no guarantee that your visitors will stay - frogs and turtles are very independent creatures.
[Back to Top]

5. It sounds good on paper, but the reality is not so great. The traits that allow the game fish to exist in the wild make them poor additions to an ornamental pond.Their neutral coloring allows them to blend with rocks and gravel and they often hide in aquatic vegetation.

6. Actually, your pond is reducing the mosquito population. It's unlikely that mosquitoes will lay their larvae in bodies of water like your pond, but if they do, your fish, frogs and dragonflies will feast on them. Your skimmer filter will also take care of the larvae if the fish and other critters don't get to them first. It's far more likely that mosquitoes will breed in something like an overturned frisbee, with its stagnant, predator-free water - just the type of environment mosquito larvae love.
[Back to Top]

7. Size will depend on your site and your personal preferences. But you should know that the most often heard complaint from new pond owners is that they wish they had built a larger pond. Don't be too concerned with building too big...it's always easy to find new aquatic plants and more fish to add to your ecosystem. But if you build too small, you're limitied.

8. Some pond traditionalists have stated that a smooth pond bottom is preferred because it allows for easier cleaning of the muck buildup. However, the pond with a gravel bottom allows the formation of colonies of beneficial bacteria, which break down decaying plants, fish waste and other organic material that falls to the pond bottom. Ponds with gravel stay cleaner and are easier to maintain than non-gravel ponds.
[Back to Top]

9. We feed our fish Hai Feng Quick Grow. The important thing to know is that great harm can be done to the fish by over feeding. Do not feed when water temperature is below fifty five degrees. At 55-60 degrees feed at most once per day, an amount equal to what the fish can consume in five minutes. Gradually increase to three feedings during the peak of the summer temperatures. Your exact schedule may vary somewhat depending on your situation. If you leave for a few days, don't worry...your fish will take care of themselves by nibbling on algae.
[Back to Top]

10. During most of the year, maintenance is limited to merely emptying the skimmer net about once a week. If you live in an area with a lot of nearby trees, you'll have to empty the net more often during the fall. In the summer, you will have to top off the water level about once a week to replace the loss from evaporation. Those in the hot southern climates often choose to install an automatic fill valve to automate this chore.